There are 50 owner-reported suspension complaints for the 2015 Tesla Model Sin NHTSA's database. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
My 2015 tesla model with less than 55000 mi had the front suspension broke on [XXX] when i pull out of the driveway. I heard a hard noise from passenger front tire that is scraping on the fender liner.The car was not drivable and had to be towed to a tesla dealership in cherry hill NJ > Quoted bill is $1800 to replace. With the low mileage , I never expected the suspension to brake unless there is a defect on the cars manufacturer front suspension fore link. I read on the NSHTSA that there was an investigation for the several complain for the 2015 - 2017 tesla model S . The service car representative took a picture of the broken suspension fore link that is holding the suspension front tires. I forgot to ask him to forward the picture to me.Maybe I can ask him when I pick up the car. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
While driving approximately 45mph on a smooth dry road, the drivers side front lower ball joint broke in half. This caused the wheel to separate from the lower control arm and get lodged between the fender well and the front subframe. This caused the inner tie rod to bend and the cv joint to separate from the inner connection. The rubber brake line was torn in half and undercarriage damage due to it slamming to the pavement. I notified Tesla and scheduled an appointment. This happened on 02/26/2025 at approximately 7am. The vehicle did not drive abnormal or give any warning before the incident. All maintenance and services were up to date.
Failure part was drivers side front wheel "Fore Link Assembly" which broke at the wheel connection on our driveway while turning left in reverse. I heard a loud thunk but hadn't run over anything and nothing irregular outside so I continued but now I could hear something scrapping. Turns out it was the front tire now rubbing the wheel well liner when turning left. pulled the tire off and you could easily see where the fore link fractured. Fortunately this part didn't fail on the road as the outcome might have been bad considering the possible loss of control. Our car, 1985 purchased new with 68,450 miles was towed via required flatbed to a Tesla Service Center and repaired. I have all replaced parts including the fractured section that fell on our driveway. Outside of the repair personnel and myself no one has looked at the part but you can clearly see what used to be a circular opening was elongated and ,about a 90 degree section, missing.
Backing out of a parking spot, my car made a loud "thunk" and stopped. I put the car in park and got out, looking all around and under the car. I did not see anything. I backed out of the spot and circled the lot to see if there was anything in the parking spot I may have run over. Nothing. When exiting the parking lot, the car made the same "thunk" and again ground to a halt. I again exited the car and looked all around. This time, I could see that the front driver's side tire was not in the correct position. It was shifted toward the back of the wheel well. I knew something had physically broken. I had the car towed to a service center. They checked the car and said a suspension fore link had broken. They recommended replacing all of them, not just the one that broke. They blamed the age of the car (95,000 miles). I was incredibly lucky that this occurred in a parking lot given that the vehicle came to an immediate stop. There were no prior warning signs. The car last had a scheduled inspection at 87,500 miles.
Drove out of my driveway and 2 minutes later I hear a metal clink and my steering wheel pulled to the left. I was going 15-20 mph. Pull over and see the right rear wheel angled inwards. And see a metal piece broke off. Turns out the rear control arm broke for no apparent reason. Many others reported same issue and there was a recall on this for 2013-2014 SB-19-31-001 [XXX] but not years going forward even though many of the newer Tesla’s have same issue. Luckily I was going g slow but it seems it is just a matter of time before this happens to someone on the highway or at faster speeds to cause some serious damage and injuries. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Ive been notified that my front upper, lower arms, and bushings on my suspension are damaged. Tesla has sent me an massive bill to replace the parts on the car that I am not able to provide. As a looked up and talked to other Tesla S owners, this apparently is a major issues with all of them and very common. So common that China issued a recall requiring Tesla to fix this manufacture defect of wreaked and poorly manufacture parts. Why is the US not forcing this yet? They should be held liable for their fault mechanic engineer of the vehicle that is costing us THOUSANDS of dollars to repair and replace even at very low mileage Invoice attached. This was the cost AFTER they gave me discount for replacing a part I did not authorize. This was an issue with the dealership still.
Tesla front right hand lower forward link failed at the ball joint (aluminum casting spilt open) Part #1041575-00-A, FRT FORE AWD LCA RH, Made in Canada. This happened while backing up on flat pavement without warning. The car has been well cared for, garaged, never damaged or abused and has less than 52K miles. It could have caused a life threatening accident if it would have happened at speed.
FOR THE SECOND TIME IN 1 YEAR BOTH MY FRONT SUSPENSION HAVE BROKEN OFF WHILE BACKING UP.LAST YEAR WAS MY PASSENGER SIDE TIRE JUST THIS WEEK MY DRIVERS SIDETIRE JUST FALLING OFF FROM BALL JOINTS. TESLA CONTINUES EMPHAZING IIMPACTED WITH SOMETHING AND THEY WOULD NOT FIX THE BROKEN JOINT, THEY HAVE REFERRED ME TO A BODY SHOP THAT I DISAGREE DUE TO THE FACT THAT IT DOES NOT HAVE ANY BODY NOR STRUCTURAL DAMAGE JUST THE POOR SUSPENSION AND BALL JOINTS THAT ARE ISTALLED IN TESLAS. SOMEDAY SOMEONE IS GOING TO GET HURT WHILE DRIVING AT AVG SPEED FROM THESE FAULTY PARTS. THANK YOU,
Tesla Model S began making clunking/grinding noise when reversing out of a driveway with the wheel fully turned. It turned out that the front left and right fore links have failed prematurely and caused the front wheels to rub on the wheel arch/fender. No potholes were ever hit to cause the damage. Car needed replacement parts totaling $979. A wheel alignment was also needed. Car only has 97,000 miles.
I had driven to a shopping center for buy a new backpack for my daughter who was starting school. After shopping, as I reversed my car, I felt as if I had gone over a bump. I came out to see if there was a bump or something else in the parking lot but found nothing that my car could have gone over. I got back in the car and started my drive and immediately, started hearing loud and griding noises. The noise would get worse as I would turn the steering wheel and the car would also seem as it is going over bumps. I immediately came out and look around and found nothing; I then looked at the wheel well and the surrounding area and didn't detect anything out of ordinary. I was able to drive the car home (roughly 1.5 miles) at speed no faster than 3-5 miles/hour without continuous loud and griding noise. I contacted Tesla who gave me an appointment for a week later. Inspection found fore-link broken. What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? Left fore-link connected to the front suspension of the car. Part is available for inspection. How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? The breakage of the part made the wheel get disconnected from the suspension. Had I been driving on a highway or other roadways at higher speed, my car would have certainly gotten out of control and endangered my life and the lives of others. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? This is a known issue that has been reported by many Tesla Model S owners. There is also a recall in China for the similar parts. Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others? Yes, it was inspected by Tesla service center. Were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear? There were no warnings or other symptoms prior to the failure of the fore-link.
lower control arm of front passenger wheel cracked and came off while backing out of driveway. rendered undriveable, required tow to fix.
The control arm that holds my tire in place completely broke apart. It looks like the ball joint severed from the rest of the unit. I didn’t hit anything - not even a pot hole. I was driving in a residential area going 25 mph. I thought my tire went flat so I checked the car and didn’t see anything. I continued to drive the car and turned on the main road and my car almost veered me into oncoming traffic almost causing a crash. Luckily with sheer strength I was able to pull the car barely over to the side. Had I not been driving where I was, this could have been a scary situation. Tesla admitted to me this is a known safety issue but then said because my car isn’t under warranty, I was responsible. I asked for the defective part and have it in my possession.
Rear suspension cannot be adjust which results in uneven tire wear that is hard to see which has lead to 3 tire blowouts in less than a 12 month period on the rear tire.
Dear National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, I am writing to bring to your attention a serious safety issue that I experienced while driving my Tesla Model S 2015 on Freeway 680 in [insert location]. On 2/27/2023], the left rear wheel of my car suddenly dropped, causing a dangerous and potentially life-threatening situation. Fortunately, the incident occurred at night with less traffic, or it could have been catastrophic for myself, my children, and other road users. I have learned that Tesla has issued a recall in China for the same suspension issue that I experienced. However, I am deeply concerned that there has been no such recall or acknowledgment of this issue in the USA. It is alarming that such a dangerous fault could occur on a car that is marketed as a high-tech and safe vehicle. I believe that it is crucial to investigate and take immediate action to rectify this potentially fatal flaw in Tesla Model S 2015's suspension system. I urge you to look into this matter and work with Tesla to issue a recall for affected vehicles and implement a fix to prevent any further accidents. As a concerned citizen and a victim of this unsafe suspension issue, I implore you to prioritize the safety of Tesla owners and ensure that such incidents do not occur in the future. Thank you for your attention to this matter, and I hope that you will take swift action to address this serious safety issue.
This is the second time that a wheel becomes "lopsided" and no longer perpendicular to the axle. On 4/13/22 I was driving to work and suddenly I heard noises coming from the back wheel and I felt the car dragging. I found that the passenger rear tire was lopsided and almost falling out of the car. Then this year on 2/4/23 as I was going to work I found the driver rear tire also lopsided. Both times I had to pay for towing and $4000+ get the tire back on securely mounted to the axle. Both times the REAR UPPER CONTROL ARMS - FORWARD and REARWARD - need to be replaced. Last time we took it to a local repair shop, this time we took it to Tesla. This time, the following parts also needed to be replaced: REAR UPPER LINK SUSPENSION ASSEMBLY HALFSHAFT - REAR DRIVE UNIT - LH SUSPENSION - REAR UPPER - LH TOE LINK ASSEMBLY - REAR - LH INTEGRAL LINK - REAR - LH DROP LINK - SWAY BAR - REAR - LH SPRING and DAMPER ASSEMBLY - REAR - LH This is a unsafe car to drive - I understand that it's a low car and there are pot holes on NYC streets. But this car is still unreliable if it happens within 12 months that I cannot get to where I need to go because the car is undrivable.
Driving slowly, in reverse, in a smooth parking lot, the front right suspension made a big thudding noise and both steering and any braking made horrible metal and other screeching noises. This was at a very low speed. The suspension part, the forward link (lower control arm) had split open and no longer held the ball joint in place. This happened without any warning of any sort, and with no (I've owned the car for about 45,000 miles and 3.5 years) known abuse of the front suspension (no hard potholes, no curb, no rough or dirt roads, only smooth well-kept roads). If this failure had happened at highway speeds or even city street speeds, losing the ability to brake and steer properly could have been disastrous and is a safety issue. Part may be available after Tesla provides service - car is under a pre-owned certified warranty. From first inspection metal "bushing" on forelink appears to be completely cracked open.
Driving at highway speed, swerved slightly (in lane) to avoid road debris, front aft suspension snapped suddenly and separated from ball joint causing wheel to collapse in, disabling vehicle and causing temporary loss of control in rainy conditions. There was no warning, noises, looseness or other symptoms present prior to this event, vehicle had to be towed. Pictures were taken as well as a police report. I have the broken part in my possession.
I was driving my car around town and heard a slight knocking sound. It didn't seem to be a significant issue. Within a few hours, the knocking turned into a grinding sound. It seemed like the wheel was getting stuck in the wheel well. It didn't appear to be a significant issue, so I drove the car home. There were also no warning lights or indicators. As I drove home, the problem got worse and worse to the point where I was concerned about not being safe, but also didn't want to tow my car for a short distance. When I got home, I removed the tire and discovered that the fore beam on the right side had broken and was no longer connected to the wheel. Further research has shown that this is a known issue and there was a recall for the same issue in China. Tesla states that this happens due to driver abuse and bad roads. I can assure you that this isn't the issue in this case. When I brought it to the shop, Tesla insisted on replacing both sides, which indicates a concern for this to happen again. I have requested the broken part to be returned to me so I can inspect what happened.
Heard a pop sound as I backed from my garage. Started moving forward and heard a rubbing noise from tire. Moved car back into garage to inspect. When car was jacked up I found front following control arm broken at ball joint and completely separated. I've contacted manufacturer about repair but this could have caused severe driving hazard and lose of control if it occurred at speed. I've sent pictures manufacturer and have not heard back about repair. There was no warning of failure other than popping noise then failure.
I was backing out of a parking space while turning the steering wheel to the right. It sounded like I was running over a plastic milk jug or something like that. I stopped the car, inspected, there was no object under the car or in the wheel wells. I looked to see if any of the wheels were rubbing on the wheel well and did not see that. I then asked a friend to watch as I backed up, moved forward, and turned the wheel. He observed that the front wheel was rubbing on the wheel well, so I had the car towed to Tesla Service SODO. The next morning I found a portion of the aluminum bearing that is part of the right fore-link assembly. I drive the car for commuting and there were no incidences of impact that could cause this.
Showing 1–20 of 50 complaints
Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA. A high complaint count may reflect vehicle popularity, not defect severity. Data sourced from NHTSA public records.
Data synced from NHTSA on May 4, 2026